Adding an additive to a meat product

ABSTRACT

Method for treating a large number of meat products, in particular slaughtered poultry or parts thereof, in which an additive is added to the meat products. The meat products are supplied to additive-adding means using a conveyor means, the conveyor means being designed to feed the meat products sequentially in groups or separately. The additive-adding means subject each meat product or each group of meat products to an additive-adding treatment which is adapted to the corresponding meat product or to the corresponding group of meat products.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/574,837 filed Oct. 7, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,293,298, which is adivisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/865,180 filed May 24,2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,109,226, which application is a continuationapplication of International Application No. PCT/NL99/00725 filed Nov.25, 1999, which claims priority to Netherlands Application No. 1010673filed Nov. 27, 1998, the contents of all of which are incorporatedherein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to methods and devices for treating meatand meat products which are intended for human consumption, whichtreatment involves adding an additive to the product. In particular, theinvention relates to carrying out such treatment on an industrial scale,i.e. with a large capacity.

The invention relates in particular to the treatment of slaughteredpoultry and parts thereof, such as for example chicken, and to thetreatment of three-dimensional meat products obtained by shaping aninherently shapeless mass of pounded meat which is suitable for humanconsumption, such as for example, hamburgers, chicken nuggets, etc.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the field of industrial marinating of meat products, it is known touse “tumblers”. A tumbler of this nature comprises a movable drum, or astationary drum containing agitators, into which some of the meat whichis to be treated is placed together with a quantity of substantiallypulverulent marinade. As a result of the drum being set in motion, themeat comes into contact with the marinade, and the meat is marinatedfrom the outside. These known tumblers have a number of drawbacks. Forexample, one drawback is that this is a batch process, so that thismethod of marinating cannot in fact be efficiently incorporated in acontinuously operating treatment process for the meat products. Oneexample of such processes is the slaughter of poultry, which currentlytakes place in a continuous process, with a very high capacity, with theaid of slaughtering installations which operate virtually automatically.Slaughtering installations of this nature supply a virtually constantflow of meat products, which continuity is essentially advantageous fordownstream stations, for example continuous ovens and/or packagingstations. If the meat products then have to be marinated using atumbler, this continuity has to be interrupted, which represents adrawback.

Furthermore, the marination in a tumbler is based in particular onmechanical interaction between the meat products which are present inthe tumbler. This means that the amount of meat products must lie withinspecified limits in order to achieve the desired marination, andconsequently the amount of meat in the tumbler cannot be varied asdesired. When using a tumbler, the amount of additive which is placed inthe tumbler also has to lie within specified limits in order to obtainthe correct marination. The fact that both the amount of marinade andthe amount of meat has to lie within a specified range in a tumblerresults in the further effect, which is deemed to be disadvantageous,that the level of marinade added to the meat also lies within specifiedlimits, usually between 5% and 8%. It is therefore not possible, forexample when using a tumbler, to efficiently allow only a very smallpercentage of marinade to be added to the meat product if gooddistribution of the marinade in the product is also required. Also, thestructure of the meat may be adversely affected by the mechanical actionof the tumbler.

A further drawback of using a tumbler is that an excess of marinadebuilds up in cavities in the product and, considered in a broader sense,that undesirably large amounts of often expensive marinade are required,only a small fraction of which actually reaches the product which is tobe treated.

Another known method for marinating (meat) products consists in guidingthe product which is to be marinated through a liquid bath, the liquidin the bath having a marinating action. For example, a method is knownin which air bubbles are introduced into the bath in order to set themarinade liquid in motion. However, this known method using a liquidbath does not allow integration with a continuous process for theproduction of meat products, such as integration with a slaughteringinstallation for poultry.

OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention is to provide methods and devices which makeit possible to add additives in a continuous process, preferably “inline” with other treatment processes carried out on the meat products.

A further object of the invention is to provide measures which make itpossible for each meat product or small group of associated meatproducts to be individually treated in an optimum manner with one ormore additives.

A further object of the invention is to provide measures which make itpossible to control the addition of one or more additives, or a mixtureof additives, to the meat product. In this context, the term “control”is understood, inter alia, to mean the provision of optimum treatment ofthe meat product, in which the desired quantity of the additive isdelivered to a part of the meat product which is to be treated, possiblythe entire meat product, but in particular a specific, selected part ofthe meat product, and the desired distribution of the additive over thepart which is to be treated is also achieved.

A further object of the invention is to provide measures which make itpossible to rapidly adapt the additive-adding process to the supply ofmeat products to be treated and/or to make it possible to change rapidlybetween different additives.

The marination methods which are known from the prior art often usemarinade which comprises a mixture of a plurality of components. Inpractice, such mixtures are expensive. Another significant drawback isthat many mixtures are impossible to keep, or can only be kept for ashort time, since the components of these mixtures are not compatiblewith one another and/or in time enter into reactions which lead toundesirable reaction products.

Another object of the invention is to provide measures which make itpossible to bring together different additives which together are toform a mixture only during or just before the treatment of the meatproduct. This creates the possibility of new combinations of additivesand makes it possible to produce new meat products.

It should be noted that it is important to combat excessive addition ofthe additive to the meat product in particular if the cost price of theadditive is higher than that of the meat product which is to be treated.In some cases, however, it may be that the additive is less expensivethat the meat product which is to be treated and that it is in factpossible to increase profits if a large amount of additive can be added,obviously within limits which are acceptable to the consumer.

A further drawback of using a tumbler is that cleaning the tumbler,which is required at least when changing to a different marinade,presents problems and takes up an undesirable length of time.

A further object of the invention is to carry out the additive additionin such a manner that it is possible to do without cleaning, or to carryout cleaning easily and quickly, particularly when changing additive,while ensuring the required hygiene for treatment of the meat products.

A drawback which often arises in the methods according to the prior art,particularly when using a tumbler, is the dislocation, also known as thedisplacement, of the skin of a meat product, for example the skin on achicken leg or other poultry portion.

Damage caused by the addition of additive must also be avoided in thetreatment of damageable meat products, such as for example, hamburgers.As is known, hamburgers and the like cannot under any circumstances beprocessed in a tumbler.

Another object of the invention is to propose measures which make itpossible to carry out the addition of the additive in such manner thatthe meat product is treated with care, in particular avoidingdislocation of any skin which may be present.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides a large number of measures with which one or moreof the abovementioned objects can be achieved.

According to one aspect thereof the invention provides a method fortreating a large number of meat products, in particular slaughteredpoultry or parts thereof, in which an additive is added to the meatproducts, wherein the meat products are supplied to additive-addingmeans using a conveyor means, which conveyor means is designed to feedthe meat products sequentially in groups or separately, theadditive-adding means subjecting each meat product or each group of meatproducts to an additive-adding treatment which is adapted to thecorresponding meat product or to the corresponding group of meatproducts.

In a preferred embodiment, during the additive-adding treatment, one ormore jets of additive are directed at the meat product in order to applyadditive to the outer surface of the meat product.

In order to obtain a uniform distribution of the additive over the outersurface of the meat product it is preferred that the conveyor means isdesigned to place each meat product which is to be treated in differentorientations with respect to the one or more jets of additive.

The additive can be added to the meat product which is to be treatedfrom the outside, so that the additive sticks to the outside of theproduct or part thereof and, in the process may penetrate into the outerlayer of the product.

In an alternative embodiment the additive may be added directly into theinterior of the meat product using additive-adding means which cause theadditive to penetrate into the meat product which is to be treated.

If it is desired for the additive to be distributed further through themeat product following the internal or external addition, thisdistribution can be promoted by means of various additionalpre-treatments and/or after-treatments of the meat product, such as forexample massaging of the meat product and/or a temperature treatment ofthe product. The invention also provides for further distribution of theadditive with the aid of an after-treatment of the meat product usingsound waves. It is also possible to provide for activation of theadditive for the purpose of distribution through the product bysubjecting the product to a treatment using microwaves, or a treatmentin a microwave oven.

The invention also provides the possible option of the additive being apulverulent substance which, after it has been added to the meatproduct, is activated by contact with liquid or steam.

In addition to after-treatments of the meat product which are carriedout after the additive has been added, the invention also provides forthe possibility of a pre-treatment, which is related to the addition ofadditive, of the meat product being carried out, for example wettingwhich leads to improved adhesion of a pulverulent additive to theoutside of the meat product.

The invention relates in particular to treatments which are covered bythe specialist term “marinating” of meat and meat products. Theinvention also comprises treatments which are covered by the specialistterms “crumbing” and “coating” of meat products.

The additive may be an additive which affects the flavour. As analternative to or in combination with flavour-influencing properties,the additive may also have other properties, for example may be used toimprove the appearance, such as the colour, or the shelf life of themeat product. Furthermore the additive may form an essential part of thestructure of the edible product, such as a layer of breadcrumbs on theoutside of the meat product. The additive may also be intended to coatthe outside of the meat product with a sealing layer. The additive mayalso have the principal function of increasing the weight of theproduct.

The additive may also be a disinfecting agent, for example a liquid or apulverulent substance.

In a particular embodiment, the additive is fat, in particular animal(belly) fat (preferably derived from slaughtered poultry).

The invention relates, inter alia, to the treatment of a meat product,in particular a slaughtered fowl or one or more parts of a fowl of thisnature, with an additive, in a position in which the meat product isheld securely in place by a product holder which, together with aplurality of similar product holders, can be displaced along a conveyortrack and, in the process, moves past an additive-adding station whichis arranged alongside the conveyor track and in which one or moreadditives are added to the meat product.

In a particular embodiment, the conveyor track and the associated drivemeans for displacing the product holders form part of a slaughteringinstallation for slaughtering poultry, such as for example that which ismarketed by the present applicant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a first exemplary embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 2 shows a second exemplary embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 3 shows a third exemplary embodiment of the invention,

FIGS. 4 a-c show a detail of the device shown in FIG. 2 and two variantson this detail,

FIG. 5 shows a fourth exemplary embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 6 shows a fifth exemplary embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 7 shows a sixth exemplary embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 8 shows a seventh exemplary embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 9 shows an eighth exemplary embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 10 shows a ninth exemplary embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 11 shows a tenth exemplary embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 12 shows an eleventh exemplary embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 13 shows a twelfth exemplary embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 14 shows a thirteenth exemplary embodiment of the invention,

FIGS. 15 a and 15 b show a fourteenth exemplary embodiment of theinvention,

FIG. 16 shows a fifteenth exemplary embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 17 shows a sixteenth exemplary embodiment of the invention, and

FIGS. 18 a-c show a seventeenth exemplary embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a meat product 1, which in this figure is showndiagrammatically purely by way of example. The meat product 1 is, inparticular, a slaughtered fowl or a part thereof, such as for example anentire chicken or part thereof, such as a chicken leg, wing, breastportion or drumstick. The meat product 1 is situated in anadditive-application station 3, which is shown in extremely diagrammaticform and is to be described in more detail below, and is held securelyin place by a meat-product holder 2, which is likewise shown only indiagrammatic form and may also be of entirely different design.

In this example shown in FIG. 1, the meat-product holder 2 is ofelectrically conductive design, for example made from stainless steel,and makes electrically conductive contact with the meat product 1.

The additive-application station 3 comprises an electrostaticadditive-application device with one or more jet nozzles 4, which aredirected towards the meat product 1, for delivering one or more jets ofadditive towards the meat product 1, which additive is intended to beapplied to the outside of the meat product 1. In this case, the additivecomprises small solid and/or liquid particles, which are such that theycan be entrained in a gas flow which is emitted from each jet nozzle 4and is created by means for generating a gas flow which belong to theadditive-application station and are not shown.

The station 3 furthermore comprises a high-voltage source 5 which isdesigned to produce a considerable electrical voltage difference betweenthe meat product 1, on the one hand, and the additive which is to bedelivered from the jet nozzle(s) 4, on the other hand. The voltagedifference is, for example, a few tens of kilovolts, for example in theorder of magnitude of 40 kilovolts.

In this example, the conductive meat-product holder 2 is connected tothe negative pole of the high-voltage source 5, or earth, and theadditive which is to be delivered is electrostatically charged. Thecharging is preferably carried out in short pulses.

Due to the electrostatic charge of the additive with respect to the meatproduct 1, the additive particles are attracted by the meat product 1.It will be noticed that even that side which is remote from the jetnozzles 4 or cavities in the meat products 1 are reached by theadditive.

The additive may, for example, be an optionally wetted powder withflavour-influencing properties, such as for example paprika powder,curry powder etc. The additive may also be a liquid, which liquid isthen suitably converted into small droplets or a mist and is thenelectrostatically charged and transferred to the meat product. By way ofexample, the liquid is a flavour-influencing edible oil, such as forexample paprika oil. However, the additive could also, for example, havea disinfecting action or could be a colorant. The additive may also be amixture of one or more pulverulent and liquid substances.

In a variant embodiment, the meat product 1 is wetted first, and then asubstantially pulverulent additive is applied. The wetting may, ifappropriate, be effected using another electrostatic application device,which supplies and electrostatically charged liquid mist to the meatproduct 1. It is possible for the meat product 1 to have been wettedfirst using water or an aqueous solution, for example as a result of theproduct being sprayed or passed through a liquid bath. The wetting 1 mayserve both to promote the adhesion of the additive to the meat product 1but also as an activator for the additive, or to activate the additivesubsequently as a result of the additive which has then been wettedbeing heated, for example using a microwave oven.

The wetting prior to the application of a dry additive or theapplication of a wetted additive may also be combined with a dryingtreatment of the meat product after the application of the additive,with the result that ultimately additive remains behind on the driedoutside of the meat product. This method makes it possible to apply dryadditives which do not inherently stick, or stick only with difficulty,to a meat product, yet the outside is dry when the meat product leavesthe treatment line.

To stick an additive to a meat product 1, it is also possible for alayer of edible fat to be applied first, for example belly fat from theslaughtered poultry, before the additive is applied. If the meat productis subsequently cooked, the layer of fat contributes to the quality andtaste of the meat product, while it is also not necessary to use anycooking butter or oil during preparation. Also, it is possible for onlya specific part of the meat product which is to be treated to beprovided with a layer of fat or wetted as described above, so that theadditive which is then to be applied will stick primarily to that partof the meat product.

If, during electrostatic application of the additive, it is desired toavoid the additive being deposited on a specific component (orcomponents) of the device and/or on a specific section of the meatproduct to be treated, it is possible for these parts, if they areelectrically conductive and are insulated with respect to the meatproduct which is to be treated, to be electrically connected to the samepole of the high-voltage source as the jet nozzles 4. In this way, it ispossible, for example, for walls of the device which are present aroundthe treatment position for the meat product which is to be treated to beprotected against undesirable deposition of the additive. It is alsopossible to use electrically conductive shielding means which arearranged between the jet nozzle(s) and the part which is to be shielded,for example the section of the meat product which is to be shielded, andto be electrically connected to the same pole of the high-voltage sourceas the jet nozzle(s). In this way, it is possible to treat a selectedsection of the product with the additive, while another section of themeat product remains free from additive or is only treated with a smallamount of additive.

In one possible embodiment, it is possible to provide cleaning meanswhich, for example, remove additive which has been deposited on theproduct holder 2, preferably before a new meat product 1 is picked up bythe product holder 2. Consequently, the new meat product 1 can betreated with a different additive, and it is also possible to preventcross-contamination.

FIG. 2 shows a meat product 1 which is to be treated, in this case aslaughtered fowl, in particular a chicken, which is hung by its legs ina product holder 12 which is known per se. The product holder 12,together with a plurality of similar product holders 12, one of which ispartially visible in FIG. 2, can be displaced along an associatedconveyor track 15, driven by suitably designed drive means (not shown)

In an advantageous embodiment, the conveyor track 15 with the productholders 12 form part of a slaughtering installation for poultry, forexample as supplied by the present applicant and described inapplication WO 93/13671. It should be noted that the conveyor track 15with product holders 12, which is partially shown, is known from theapplication referred to above. In particular, each product holder 12 isdesigned to completely encircle the chicken leg or legs which is/or tobe held securely below the tarsal joint of each leg, so that the chicken(or the part thereof) is carried hanging downwards.

In the embodiment of this known conveyor track 15 with conveyor holders12 which is commercially available, the conveyor holders 12 are madelargely from plastic material, so that they do not form an electricallyconductive connection with the poultry. In order nevertheless to obtainthe required electrically conductive connection between the foul 1 whichis to be treated and the high-voltage source 5, an electrical conductorwith which the fowl comes into contact will be arranged at the treatmentpoint. This will be explained in more detail with reference to FIGS. 4a-c.

FIG. 2 also shows an additive-application station 3′ with one or morejet nozzles 4′, which in this example deliver a substantiallypulverulent additive onto the chicken 1.

In a preferred embodiment, a control device 7, with memory means inwhich data can be stored relating to the meat product 1 which is heldsecurely by a specific product holder 12, is associated with theconveyor track 15 and the additive-adding device 3′. This data could,for example, comprise the weight of the meat product, the quality of themeat product, for example of the external surface to be treated of theproduct 1, or data which determines the tenderness which can ultimatelybe expected of the meat product 1.

In control terms, the control device 7 is coupled to theadditive-application device 3′, providing a wide range of options. Forexample, it is possible for each individual meat product 1 which movespast the station 3′, where it may stop for a treatment period or simplymove slowly past, to be optimally treated with an additive or, ifappropriate, a plurality of additives. Furthermore, it is thereforepossible to select whether or not to treat a meat product 1 withadditive on the basis of the information given by the control device 7.It will also be possible to adapt the amount of additive delivered tothe specific meat product 1. It is also possible to make theadditive-application device 3′ deliver additive only when a meat product1 which is to be treated is situated at the treatment point along thetrack, so that no additive is wasted.

In the embodiment shown, the product holder 12, and therefore thechicken 1 which it is carrying, and the jet nozzle(s) 4′ can move withrespect to one another. This option can be exploited in order to producea uniform distribution of the additive over the chicken 1 all the wayaround or, alternatively, to direct only a specific section towards thejet nozzles, while shielding a further part. In the example, the jetnozzles 4′ are substantially stationary and the product holder 12 ismovable, and in particular the product holder 12 is provided with arotary member 16 which makes it possible to rotate the chicken 1 about avertical axis of rotation.

In a variant which is not shown, a controllable robot arm is used to addone or more additives to a meat product, optionally electrostatically.It is also possible to arrange a plurality of jet nozzles, each intendedto deliver an associated additive, at a treatment point, so that theproduct can be treated with a plurality of additives, simultaneously orsuccessively, at this one point. For example, it is conceivable, as aresult of a plurality of additives being added, to form a mixture on thesurface of the meat product 1.

It would also be possible for different areas of the meat product 1 tobe covered with different additives by suitably directing the jet ofadditive delivered by the associated jet nozzles and/or by usingsuitable shielding means. Furthermore, it is possible to produceoverlapping layers of different additives on the outside of the meatproduct 1.

It will be clear that these options can also be implemented by arranginga plurality of additive-application stations one behind the other alongthe conveyor track 15 for the meat products 1 to be treated and guidingthe products 1 successively past these stations where they are treatedwith a specific additive each time.

In a variant, there is provision for a plurality of additive-applicationstations to be moved successively past a single treatment point for themeat products.

FIG. 3 shows substantially the same arrangement as FIG. 2, the mostrelevant difference being that a liquid additive is in this case beingapplied to the fowl 1 using the electrostatic additive-applicationdevice 3″. In particular, the additive is a disinfecting additive, andthe additive-application device 3″ is arranged at a disinfection pointalong the conveyor track 15 for the fowl 1. Furthermore, it is possiblein this case to cause the fowl 1 to rotate, with the aid of a rotarymember 16, while the additive is being applied.

As stated above, the electrostatic application of the additive alsoleads to additive reaching that side of the meat product which is remotefrom the jet nozzle(s). FIGS. 4 a-c show this effect; electrostaticallycharged additive is delivered from the jet nozzle 4 towards the meatproduct 1 which is held securely by product holder 12, 12′, 12″. In thiscase, the meat product 1 bears in an electrically conductive manneragainst an electrical conductor 10 which belongs to theadditive-application station and in turn is connected in an electricallyconductive manner to a pole of the high-voltage source 5, in particularto earth, while the other pole of the high-voltage source is connectedto the jet nozzle 4 for charging the additive particles which are to bedelivered. The conductor 10 may be arranged in a fixed position, but mayalso be movable so that on command it can be brought into contact with ameat product to be treated.

FIG. 5 shows substantially the same arrangement as FIG. 2, but withproduct holders 20 which are of completely different design and can bedisplaced along an associated conveyor track 25. These product holders20 each have a positioning and holding head 21 which can be rotated byassociated drive means on the basis of control signals and is designedto hold a specific part 22 of a slaughtered fowl, in this example thebreast portion of a chicken, securely in position. For a detaileddescription of these product holders 20, reference is made toapplication EP 0 254 332, relevant parts of which are deemed to beincorporated in the present application.

In FIG. 5, the jets of additive delivered are shown to fan out, in orderto indicate that the said jets are intended to apply the additive to thesurface of the meat product 22. As a variant it is also possible, bymeans of a high-pressure pump and one or more suitable high-pressure jetnozzles, to deliver very powerful jets of additive which penetrate intothe meat product 22 in order in this way to introduce the additive intothe interior of the meat product 22.

The additive-application device 24 shown in FIG. 5 is arranged at anadditive-application point along the conveyor track 25. Theadditive-application device 24 may be of the electrostatic typedescribed above, for the electrostatic application of liquid and/orpulverulent additive, for example a flavour-influencing additive, butmay also deliver the high-pressure liquid jets referred to above.

FIG. 6 shows a variant on FIG. 5, in which identical components aredenoted by identical reference numerals. The figure also shows anadditive-injection device 30, which is designed to introduce theadditive directly into poultry 22 or other meat products. For thispurpose, the additive-injection device 30 comprises one or moreinjection needles 31, which are movable with respect to the poultry 22in order to be able to introduce the needles 31 into the poultry 22. Theadditive can then be introduced directly into the poultry 22 via theneedles 31.

In particular, the displacement of each needle 31 can be adjusted withinan associated displacement range, in order in this way to be able toadjust the penetration depth into the meat product 22. Preferably, thepenetration depth is adjusted as a function of an earlier observation ofthe individual meat product 22, the data from which is stored in acontrol device which is coupled to the additive-injection station 30. Byway of example, it is possible to observe the shape and dimensions ofthe meat product 22, in order in this way to be able to set the correctpenetration depth for the needles 31. To determine whether an additiveneeds to be injected, it is possible, for example, to detect the qualityof specific parts of the meat product 22 to be treated.

In a specific embodiment, fat, in particular (belly) fat obtained duringslaughter of poultry 22, is injected into the poultry 22 via the needles31. By individually controlling the needles 31, both with regard to thepenetration depth of each needle 31 into the poultry 22 and with regardto the amount of fat which is delivered via the said needle 31, it isthen possible to obtain an optimum addition of fat to the poultry. Itwill thus be possible to locally optimize the fat content of the poultry(part) 22, which is of benefit to the taste and processability and isalso advantageous due to the added value achieved for the fat which isreleased during slaughter.

After the additive has been injected, it will often be desirable for themeat product to be subjected to a further treatment which is aimed atdistributing the additive further within the meat product. Thisafter-treatment may, for example, comprise massaging of the meatproduct. For this purpose, FIG. 6 shows massaging means 26 which are ofmechanical design and are arranged along the conveyor track 25,downstream of the additive-injection means 30. The massaging means 26 inthis case comprise a rotatable shaft 27 which is positioned alongsidethe conveyor track 25 and is provided with flexible but firm massagingprojections 28. When the shaft 27 rotates, the massaging projections 28rub intensively over the meat product, in such a manner that theadditive is distributed. Obviously, other massaging means may also beused.

For example, it is conceivable for the meat to be massaged by blastingsmall particles onto the meat product to be massaged at a considerablevelocity, as a type of hail. The combination of the mass of theparticles and the speed of the particles then produces a mechanicalmassaging action. In an alternative variant, particles of this naturecan be blasted against the meat product at the same time as the additiveis being applied, for example, particles which are not electrostaticallycharged and are then entrained in the gas flow which also entrains theadditive particles or droplets which are electrostatically charged.

Massaging of the meat product can also be achieved by directing powerfulair jets at the meat product, which air jets, if appropriate, may alsoentrain an additive.

FIG. 7 shows an additive-injection device 40 which is arranged alongsidethe conveyor track 25 and has one or more injection needles 44 forinjecting additive into that part of a slaughtered fowl 22 which is tobe treated. In particular, this embodiment relates to the treatment ofbreast portions of chicken or similar poultry, which breast portionshave a membrane on one side. In this case, it would represent a drawbackif injection needles were to penetrate through the said membrane,particularly since this is subsequently visible to the consumer, and forthis reason, this injection is only carried out when the breast piece,as shown, has been separated (by separation means which are not shownbut are known per se), so that the side with the membrane is turned awayfrom the needles 44. In this case, there is a retaining member 46 inorder to hold the breast portion on the side which is remote from theneedles 44.

In this variant too, it is possible for the needles 44 to beindividually adjustable with regard to their penetration depth and/ordelivery of additive. Furthermore, it is also possible for anafter-treatment, for example a massaging treatment, to then take placedownstream of the additive-injection point.

FIG. 8 shows an installation for the external application of additive tomeat products, in particular to damageable meat products which have beenformed from a mass of pounded meat, such as for example hamburgers.

The installation comprises a conveyor mechanism 50 with a first conveyorbelt 51 for (meat) products 52 which are to be treated, for examplechicken wings. The installation comprises a camera 53 for detecting theproducts 52, preferably in such a manner that the position on the belt51 is observed, and preferably also in such a manner that the shapeand/or dimensions of the product 52 are observed.

A first additive-application device 55 is used to apply a firstadditive. This is preferably carried out electrostatically, in whichcase the belt 51 is electrically conductive, for example is made frommetal gauze, and is connected to earth. Preferably, the first additiveis applied on an individual basis, i.e. in such a manner that eachproduct is given precisely the required amount of additive, ifappropriate, in the case of directable jet nozzles, at a specificlocation. This determination of the amount and/or location is preferablycarried out on the basis of parameters which are observed by the camera53.

After the first additive-application device 55, the meat products 51 areturned through dropping onto a second conveyor belt 58. Above the saidsecond conveyor belt 58 there is a second camera 56, which detects theproducts 52 again, but in this case from the other side. By way ofexample, the camera 56 protects the position on the belt 58. The camera56 or an additional camera, could also be directed at the belt 52 inorder to detect the quality and/or quantity of the earlier applicationof the first additive.

A second additive-application device 57 can then, if appropriate on thebasis of the observation carried out by the camera 56, deliverindividually determined amounts of additive to the products 51 which aremoving past.

By using shielding means between the jet nozzles and the meat productswhich are to be treated, it is possible to ensure that one or morespecific parts of the meat products to be treated are shielded from theapplication of additive.

FIG. 9 shows an additive-application installation 80 which is integratedwith a conveyor device 81 for slaughtered poultry 90 or parts thereof,with product holders 82 which can be displaced along an associatedconveyor track, in this case for securely holding two chicken legs each.

The installation 80 comprises a second conveyor device 85, which at atransfer point 86 is able to take over meat products from the conveyordevice 81. The conveyor device 85 forms a second track for the meatproducts 90, along which second path one or more additive-addingstations 91, for example an electrostatically operating station, arearranged. After one or more additives have been added, the conveyordevice 85 guides the meat products 90 which have been treated back tothe conveyor device 81 and transfers the treated meat products 90 backto the associated product holders 82.

Suitable control means make it possible to ensure that only meatproducts which are to be treated are transferred to the second conveyordevice 85, while other products, which are not to be treated, areconveyed onwards along the first track. By setting a suitable speed andtrack length of the second conveyor device 85, it is possible to obtaina sufficient processing time for applying and/or injecting additive. Itis also possible to dry the meat product which has been provided withadditive.

It will be clear that a second conveyor device of this nature, with oneor more associated additive-adding stations, can be incorporated inexisting installations in which meat products are conveyed by a conveyordevice. Furthermore, it will be clear that the detection described withreference to FIG. 8, for example of the shape, the quality and theapplication of additive, can also be carried out in an installation asshown in FIG. 9.

FIG. 10 shows an additive-adding installation 100, in which a conveyortrack 101 is provided with a plurality of product holders 102, which aredesigned to carry slaughtered poultry 103 or parts thereof. Anadditive-adding device 104 is arranged along the conveyor track 101, atan additive-adding position. This device 104 comprises a movable bath105 containing a liquid which serves as an additive. The bath 105 can bedisplaced on command, by drive means (not shown), between a positionwhich lies outside the path of the products 103 which are carried by theproduct holders 102, and a position in which the products 103 enter thebath 105 and are completely or partially submerged in the liquid. In analternative variant, the bath 105 contains a pulverulent additive, whichpowder is optionally fluidized as a result of air being blown throughit.

FIG. 11 shows an additive-adding installation 125 with a bath 126 whichholds a liquid or pulverulent additive, in particular aflavour-influencing marinade. Furthermore, the bath 126 contains arotatable conveyor worm 127. At position 128, meat products 129 whichare to be treated enter the bath 126, preferably one by one. The worm127 conveys the products 129 through the bath 126 to the removalposition 130.

In a preferred embodiment, controllable agitation means are provided foragitating, i.e. setting in motion, the additive, in addition to theconveyor worm 127 which has already been described, so that theagitation is not based exclusively on the rotation of the worm 127 andthe resultant movement of the products. If, in combination with thismeasure, the drive means of the conveyor worm 127 are designed in such away that the rotational speed of the worm 127 is also controllable, itis possible to bring about optimum treatment of the meat products 129with the additive. It is then possible, given a decreasing feed ofproducts 129 to the device 125, to reduce the speed of the conveyor worm127, in order to maintain an optimum level of loading of the worm 127,which is necessary since the interaction of the meat products ispartially responsible for the marinating. It is then also possible,since the residence time of the meat products 129 in the bath 126increases, to regulate the action of the agitation means in such amanner that ultimately the quality of the marination of the meatproducts remains uniform. The agitation means may, for example, bedesigned to form air bubbles in the bath.

FIG. 12 shows an additive-adding installation 150 with holding chambers151 for the (meat) products 152 to be treated, which chambers can movealong an associated path. By way of example, each chamber 151 may holdone or more products 152. Closure means 153 are arranged along the pathof chambers 151, which closure means close off the chamber 153 from theenvironment for a specific period. When the chambers 151 are closed,additive is applied to the products 152 which are enclosed in thechambers 151 by additive-adding means 154. Any surplus additive isremoved from the chamber 151, which is preferably still closed, via adischarge means 155, after which the chamber 151 opens and the treatedproduct 152 is removed.

Although a defined amount of additive can be accurately added to one ora few meat products in a chamber using the installation shown in FIG.12, to achieve good marination it will be desirable for the meatproducts which have been provided with additive to be subjected to atreatment which brings about further distribution of the additive withinthe meat product, for example in such a manner that the additivepenetrates into the meat to a certain extent. This treatment maycomprise the mechanical massaging of the meat, but could also use soundor other vibratory means, if appropriate with air jets which aredirected at the meat product. It will be clear that after-treatments ofthis nature carried out on the meat provided with additive are alsopossible in the solutions mentioned with reference to the figuresdescribed above.

FIG. 13 shows an additive-adding device with strong mechanical massagingof the meat. The device 200 comprises a tubular drum 201 with annularbaffles 202 which are arranged at an axial distance from one another onthe inner side and delimit annular spaces between them. These annularspaces are in turn sub-divided into chambers by longitudinal baffles203-206 which are distributed over the circumference on the inside ofthe drum 201. The drum 201 can be rotated about its longitudinal axis,in the direction of the arrow, by drive means (not shown). Along theinside of the baffles 202-206 there is a covering wall 208 which closesoff the chambers on the inside over part of the internal circumference,in such a manner that meat products can be introduced into the chambersat the bottom and are then guided upwards by rotation of the drum 201,after which the chambers open again at the top side and the meatproducts fall downwards. If the drum 201 is arranged at an angle to thehorizontal, it is possible to ensure that the downwardly falling meatproducts enter a chamber which belongs to a subsequent annular space, sothat the products are thus conveyed axially through the drum, duringwhich movement they are repeatedly conveyed upwards for a period andthen fall back downwards.

It is possible for an additive to be added to the chambers byadditive-adding means 210 at the moment at which the chambers are closedby the covering wall 208.

FIG. 14 shows an additive-application device 220 for applying anadditive to the outside of meat products 221, for example to breastportions of chicken, as shown in the figure. In the device shown in FIG.14, the additive is not applied to the meat product direct from areservoir, as in the devices described above, but rather via anintermediate substrate. FIG. 14 shows an application member 222 which isarranged along an endless intermediate substrate belt 223. With the aidof the application member 222, it is possible to deliver a meteredamount of additive, which is adapted to a meat product 221, onto theintermediate substrate belt 223. The intermediate substrate belt 223 isguided over associated rollers 223 a and 223 b and can be moved onwardsin the direction of arrow F by drive means (not shown). The metering ofthe additive onto the belt 223 is preferably adjustable, and canpreferably be adapted to the meat product 221 which is to be treatedwith this metered quantity of additive. Preferably, the weight or thevolume of each metered quantity of additive can be adjusted. In afurther variant, it is possible to provide for adjustment of the form inwhich the additive is metered onto the intermediate substrate belt 223.

At a location downstream of the application member 222, a contact point224 is arranged along the belt 223, at which contact point 224 the meatproduct 221 to be treated is brought into contact with that location onthe belt 223 which has been provided with a metered quantity ofadditive. In this way, the additive is applied to the meat product 221due to contact between the meat product 221 and the additive on the belt223. In FIG. 14, the meat products 221 which are to be treated areguided along the intermediate substrate belt 223 by a conveyor device225, in such a manner that a meat product 221 is pressed onto thecontact point 224 in the belt 223, resulting in elastic deformation ofthe belt 223, as shown in the figure. After the contact point 224 hasbeen passed, the meat product 221 moves back out of the path of the belt223 and, having been provided with the externally supplied additive, isthen removed with the aid of a suitable removal means 226.

In FIG. 14, the conveyor device 225, comprises an endless conveyor belt230 with a front roller 227, a rear roller 228 and also apressure-exerting roller 229. There are also drive means (not shown)which are able to move the conveyor belt 230 in the direction indicatedby arrow G. The pressure-exerting roller 229 is arranged in such amanner that the meat product 221, when it passes the pressure-exertingroller 229, is pressed into the path of the belt 223. The removal means226 in this case also comprises a conveyor belt 231 with associatedrollers and drive means.

If necessary, it is possible to provide cleaning means which aredesigned to clean the intermediate substrate belt 223 downstream of thecontact point 224.

The device 220 shown can be used to apply additive in paste form, forexample a sticky flavour-influencing additive. In an alternativevariant, it is possible for the additive to be applied to theintermediate substrate belt 223 electrostatically, approximately in asimilar way to certain photocopying machines. The transfer of theadditive from the intermediate substrate belt 223 to the meat productmay also be electrostatically assisted.

It should be noted that the endless belt 223 forms only one possibleembodiment of the intermediate substrate for the additive; otherembodiments, for example with a carousel on which a plurality ofintermediate substrates, each for a single metered quantity of additive,are held, are also possible.

FIGS. 15 a and 15 b respectively show a diagrammatic, perspective viewand a partial plan view of the arrangement from FIG. 6, but with anadditive-application station 235 which is yet to be describedillustrated instead of the additive-injection station 30.

The additive-application station 235 comprises an endless intermediatesubstrate belt 236 and an electrostatic additive-application device 237,by means of which additive can be electrostatically deposited on theintermediate substrate belt 236. The belt 236 is guided by associatedrollers and by means of these rollers is accommodated in a movable frame38. The frame 238 can move to and fro transversely with respect to themeat products 222 which are carried by the holding members 20, whichmovement is denoted by arrow H in FIG. 15 b. If appropriate, theapplication device 237 moves with the frame 238, which in this case issupported by guide 239. A suitably designed control device ensures thatwhen a meat product which is to be treated is present on or in thevicinity of the contact point along the path of the holding members 20,the belt 236 is pressed against the meat product 22 which is to betreated. In the process, the additive which has been applied then comesinto contact with the meat product and is completely or partiallytransferred to that side of the meat product which is to be treated.

The additive may, for example, be a pulverulent additive, for example inorder to enhance the flavour of the meat product, although otheradditives for other purposes are, of course, also possible. It is alsopossible for the additive to be applied to the intermediate substrate236 other than by electrostatic means, for example by spraying on anadhesive additive.

It will be clear that as an alternative to the belt 236, it is alsopossible to use other intermediate substrates, for example a roller withan elastically compressible outer surface or a disposable film, or touse the belt in combination with a disposable film.

FIG. 16 shows another solution for applying additive to meat products250. This solution is based on the additive being applied to thepackaging of the meat product 250 and on contact between the packagingand the meat product transferring the additive to the outside of themeat product 250. During the course of the period for which the meatproduct 250 is packaged, the additive will in many cases be able topenetrate into the meat product 250 and be distributed in the intendedway.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the additive is applied to apackaging substrate, in particular to a (plastic) packaging film. In anadvantageous embodiment of this arrangement, the additive is applied tothe packaging film by electrostatic means. In a further advantageousembodiment, the meat product is tightly surrounded by the packagingsubstrate which has been provided with additive, for example as a resultof a vacuum being applied to the packaging or as a result of thepackaging being heat-shrunk around the meat product. In a furthervariant, it is not the complete packaging substrate, but only specificparts thereof which are provided with additives, and it is ensured thatthat part of the meat product which is to be treated bears against thatarea of the packaging substrate which is provided with additive. It isalso conceivable for different areas of the packaging substrate to beprovided with different additives or with the same additive in adifferent metered quantity.

In the example shown in FIG. 16 the meat products 250 are supplied by asupply means 251, in this case a conveyor belt. The figure also shows aweb of packaging film 252, which packaging film 252 has been pre-treatedwith an additive, for example a flavour-enhancing additive or apreserving additive. The web of packaging film 252 is guided into a foldand the meat products 250 are introduced into the fold and are thusenclosed within the film 252. The edges of the film 252 are then weldedtogether using an edge-welding device 255. A transversely runningparting weld is formed along the folded web of film by means of aparting-welding device 256, so that each meat product or a group of meatproducts is completely enclosed in the film 252. If appropriate, avacuum can be applied to the packaging obtained, so that the film 252bears taut against the meat product. The packaged meat products areremoved via a removal means 257.

If appropriate, it is possible that the material referred to here aspackaging substrate may not be suitable as packaging for the consumer,in which case the meat product which has been packaged in the saidsubstrate which is provided with additive is transferred into anotherpackaging, an outer packaging. This outer packaging may also comprise aplastic film, and it is possible to make this film airtight, while thesubstrate provided with additive may if appropriate be porous, forexample in the form of a nonwoven or woven fabric. Furthermore, it ispossible that the packaging material which has been provided withadditive may not completely surround the meat product, particularly inthose cases in which an additional packaging is arranged around it.

In an alternative variant, it is possible to use a film which in factcomprises two layers between which the additive is arranged, for exampleonly in certain areas, in which case one of the two layers is removedbefore the meat product is packed inside it, so that the additive isexposed and comes into contact with the meat product, so that it can betransferred to the meat product, for example in order to enhance theflavour. The invention also relates to a film of this nature and to theuse of a film of this nature for packaging meat products.

FIG. 17 shows a variant embodiment of the inventive idea which hasalready been described with reference to FIG. 16. In FIG. 17, the meatproducts 275 which are to be treated and packaged are placed on a bottomfilm web 276, which is provided with additive and rests on feed means277 for supplying the products to a parting-welding device 280. A topfilm web 281, which is also provided with additive, rests over the meatproducts 275 at the parting-welding device 280, in such a manner thatthe said device 280 is able to form a join between the two film webs 276and 281 around each meat product 275. Preferably, a vacuum is applied tothe packaging, so that that side of each film web which has beenprovided with additive bears taut against the meat product 275. Thepackaged meat products are removed by a removal means 282.

FIGS. 18 a, 18 b and 18 c show the way in which an additive-addingdevice 300 operates, meat products 301, in this example breast portionsof chicken, being packaged in a film 303 which is provided withadditive. The film 303 is supplied in the additive-free state, forexample from a stock reel, and is provided with an additive on one side,in this case the upwardly facing side, at application station 304. Thefilm may be a single-layer plastic film, but could also be composed, forexample, of a plurality of layers, for example with a sealing layer anda layer which holds and slowly releases additive. The latter layercould, for example, be porous, for example in the form of a nonwoven orwoven fabric, if appropriate made from plastics material.

The application station 304 may be designed to completely cover the film303 with additive on one side, but could also be designed to provideonly selected areas with additive. The end of the film 303 is grippedsecurely by a gripper bar 306, for example using a vacuum, and can thusbe moved up and down with respect to a conveyor belt 307. A feed means308 for the meat products 301 is provided, in order to deposit the saidmeat products 301 one by one or, if appropriate, in groups on the film303, which has been provided with additive, in the vicinity of thegripper bar 306, specifically on a part of this film which is resting onthe conveyor belt 307, the ends of the film 303 being held at a distanceabove the belt 307 by the bar 306 (cf. FIG. 18 a). Due to the movementof the belt 307, the meat product 301 which is resting on the film 303is moved through beneath the gripper bar 306, so that a fold is formedin the film 303 and the film 303 covers the meat product 301 in question(cf. FIG. 18 b). The bar 306 then moves towards the belt 306 and asuitably designed film-welding device 310 welds the pieces of filmtogether around the meat product and also separates the meat product 301which has been packaged in film in this way from the film web 303 (cf.FIG. 18 c).

The additive may also, for example, be a gelatinous substance which isapplied to the film 303 in a layer.

The appended claims describe a large number of methods and devicesaccording to the invention. It will be clear that the methods describedin claims 28-30 can also be used independently of the method describedin claim 1. Many of the devices and components thereof which aredescribed in the claims and description may also be used independentlyof the method described in claim 1.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for conveyance of a plurality of meatproducts and the selective application of an additive onto one or moreselected meat products, the method comprising: a. conveying a pluralityof meat products with a first conveyor device having a first conveyortrack and a plurality of meat product holders movable along said firstconveyor track, each meat product being held by a meat product holder ofthe first conveyor device; b. selecting from said plurality of meatproducts conveyed by the first conveyor device at least one meat productthat is to be subjected to an additive-adding treatment; c. transferringat a transfer point along the first conveyor track the at least oneselected meat product from the first conveyor device to a secondconveyor device while other of the plurality of meat products areconveyed by the first conveyor device past the transfer point, saidsecond conveyor device having a second conveyor track and a plurality ofmeat product holders movable along said second conveyor track, whereinthe at least one selected meat product is transferred from a meatproduct holder of the first conveyor device to a meat product holder ofthe second conveyor device; d. subjecting the at least one selected meatproduct to at least one additive-adding treatment by at least oneadditive-adding device positioned along the second conveyor track, saidat least one additive-adding device treating the at least one selectedmeat product with an additive while the at least one selected meatproduct is held by the meat product holder of the second conveyordevice; and e. conveying the at least one selected meat product back tothe transfer point and transferring said at least one selected meatproduct back to a meat product holder of said first conveyor device. 2.The method of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of meatproducts are entire chickens or parts thereof.
 3. The method of claim 2,wherein at least some of the plurality of meat products are chickenlegs.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprisesdetecting at least one parameter of the plurality of meat products witha detector positioned along the first conveyor track upstream of thetransfer point.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the detector is acamera.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least oneadditive-adding device comprises a nozzle and wherein subjecting the atleast one selected meat product to at least one additive-addingtreatment comprises using the nozzle to direct one or more jets of aliquid additive at the at least one selected meat product in order toapply additive onto an outer surface of the at least one selected meatproduct while the at least one selected meat product is held by the meatproduct holder of the second conveyer device.
 7. The method of claim 1,wherein subjecting the at least one selected meat product to at leastone additive-adding treatment comprises electrostatically applying oneor more additives onto an outer surface of the at least one selectedmeat product while the at least one selected meat product is held by themeat product holder of the second conveyer device.
 8. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the additive comprises a liquid, wherein the at leastone additive-adding device comprises at least one jet nozzle, andwherein subjecting the at least one selected meat product to at leastone additive-adding treatment comprising using the at least one jetnozzle to impinge the additive onto the at least one selected meatproduct so as to penetrate into the at least one selected meat productwhile the at least one selected meat product is held by the productholder of the second conveyer device.
 9. The method of claim 1, whereinthe at least one additive-adding device comprises at least one injectionneedle and wherein subjecting the at least one selected meat product toat least one additive-adding treatment comprising injecting the additiveinto the at least one selected meat product with the at least oneinjection needle while the at least one selected meat product is held bythe product holder of the second conveyer device.